Hi, Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who sent me an e-mail of welcome! I will be trying to respond to everyone individually. So many people asked me where I travel to in Brasil, that I thought I would post that. The coastal cities I visit most often are Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and Natal (usually I go to more than one place). I only have a few beach specimens from those trips because none of my friends are enthused about taking me to where shells can be found or they tell me that there are none (usually I manage to find a few though) - and also because I don't dive yet. I have a couple larger ones that I purchased in Natal from a woman who said there are plentiful areas about 2 hours north of Natal. My prize beach specimen so far is a rose-colored tellin-shaped bivalve from Rio Grande do Norte that I have yet to identify. I'm planning to go to Brasil this summer or fall again and am hoping to find some more fruitful areas to do shelling and figure out if I can convince anyone to go along... cheers Alex ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs To leave this list, click on the following web link: http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1 Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and click leave the list. ----------------------------------------------------------------------